Martin Scorsese’s next: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

January 22, 2010 - By Jack

Variety has the scoop on Martin Scorsese’s next project, due to shoot in June: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Based on the book by Brian Selznick, it was adapted into screenplay form by John Logan, who has also worked on Gladiator and The Aviator.

Selznick’s 500+ page book is roughly half text, half pictures, and a simple Google search provides some absolutely wonderful images from it (like the one above). Harry at Ain’t It Cool News says, “I expect that we will receive our very first live action equivalent to a Miyazaki animated film” – while that doesn’t seem an unsuitable comparison, what I’ve seen reminds me more of the old-fashioned magic of a George Méliès picture (Méliès was apparently a main inspiration for the book’s plot, and you can even see what looks like his take on the Moon, above). Any similarity to Miyazaki though, is not a bad thing at all, and would satisfy me as well.

The story revolves around a boy named Hugo, living in a train station in Paris, who aims to complete the robot that his father had been working on before his death. This all takes place during the 1930s, which brings about even more potential for some fantastic imagery. The whole thing seems to be very different from anything else Scorsese has directed before.

I actually saw this book in a shop quite a while ago, but couldn’t remember what it was called – I’m definitely going to pick it up as soon as possible now. I’m very excited about the film adaptation, even based on the illustrations alone, and I hope Scorsese has a winning streak on his hands with this and Shutter Island.